National Grid Looks To The Future

National Grid has published a new document presenting its energy supply and demand scenarios up to 2050. For the first time, the document ‘UK Future Energy Scenarios’ brings together gas and electricity data to provide a picture of how energy supply and demand may look in the future. In response to the idea that a single forecast of energy demand may not provide a sufficient picture of possible developments, National Grid carried out analysis based on three different scenarios: • In the Slow Progression scenario, developments in renewable and low carbon energy are comparatively slow, and emissions and renewable targets for 2020 are not met until after 2025. • In the Gone Green scenario, the renewable target for 2020 and the emissions targets for 2020, 2030 and 2050 are all reached. • The Accelerated Growth scenario uses the same view of energy demand as Gone Green but has faster development of offshore generation. All environmental targets are reached earlier than the required dates. National Grid Future Transmission Networks Manager, Richard Smith said: “This represents a new stage in our annual consultation process. The new publication shows how emissions targets could be met – or not met – under three different scenarios driven by the economy, and the demand for heat, transport and electricity. “Feedback from the industry will be very important to us, and the views gathered will be used to update the scenarios to be presented in future editions.” National Grid is an electricity and gas company that connects consumers to energy sources through its networks. The company is at the heart of one of the greatest challenges facing our society – to create new, sustainable energy solutions for the future and developing an energy system that underpins economic prosperity in the 21st century.